In the wake of a record-setting July, trailer orders continued at unprecedented levels in August.
According to FTR, August orders were 35,300, a 141% year-over-year gain from August 2018.
Act Research reports that orders were 38,200 trailers, or 140% year-over-year.
FTR says that fleets have continued to place 2019 orders ahead of schedule, which has caused OEMs to open their boards through 2Q2019. The company also sees the parts and component market as likely to remain tight.
“Orders should remain sturdy for the rest of the year, with continued steady freight growth and tight industry capacity,” said Don Ake, FTR’s vice president of commercial vehicles. “There is strong demand for new trailers, and we expect this to continue well into 2019. It is a good sign that fleets expect a robust year in 2019 and are ordering trailers earlier than normal in anticipation.”
According to ACT Research, August’s net orders were nearly 50k (seasonally adjusted), which converts to a 595k SAAR. Continuing the recent pattern, dry vans and reefers provided the majority of support for the total industry results; both categories were up more than 40% versus July. Dry vans were up almost 90% versus last August, while reefers were up over 240% versus last year.
“Fleets continued to invest at a torrid pace in August, following a robust July. Industry net orders of 38,200 trailers were up more than 30% from July and over 140% better than this time last year. The summer has shown amazing strength, reflecting commercial fleets’ positive outlook in response to solid freight rates, volumes, and capacity challenges. After seeing the strongest July volume in industry history, August followed suit, surpassing the previous record of August 1994 by more than 11,000 orders,” said Frank Maly, ACT’s director of CV transportation analysis and research. “Year-to-date net orders of more than 238,000 trailers are greater than 40% versus last year. Eight of the ten trailer categories are in the black year-over-year, with seven of those posting double-digit or better gains. Year-to-date performance is led by reefers, with net orders up 110% versus last year.”
